Archive of Our Own ^beta

Aggressive.

That was what Bonnie had been labeled from the very beginning. He remembered when he was first constructed. Just like the others, he was so excited to introduce himself to the public and gain the loving audience they were promised. How could he not be excited? His programming guaranteed his enthusiasm. While he was granted his own personality, he still had to have safety precautions implemented and traits that would keep children excited about him.

He’d always felt different from the others, though. He definitely considered them his friends– not like he had much of a choice. They were all so true to their programming. It was hard to make conversation occasionally. He was closest to Freddy, but Freddy was arguably the worst about it. Even his speech mannerisms were so artificial. The bear was very friendly and an incredible friend, but he was hard to conversate with. Jokes often went right over his head. Bonnie had grown accustomed to it, though, and even found it endearing. 

The animatronic that was most similar to Bonnie was Foxy. Foxy wasn’t even in the band. He had a little side attraction and really only ever put on shows for the younger children. Young kids adored Foxy. He was made a lot more soft and plush than the other animatronics so he could comfort children without injuring them with a metal exterior.

That was also a perk for Bonnie. Being sentient had sent Bonnie into an existential crisis of sorts and he had developed a robotic anxiety disorder. Foxy’s tail was so soft– he would let Bonnie sit beside him and would rest his long, fluffy tail in the bun’s lap. Bonnie enjoyed it thoroughly. The texture grounded him, somehow. It made him feel somewhat alive. He may have a cold, metal outside, but Foxy didn’t. And he was a robot too. Something about it was real. Bonnie wished he could have the same build as Foxy. It might soothe the constant overwhelming dread of being synthetic. 

He and Foxy would hang out in Bonnie Bowl at night. Freddy tagged along quite often as well, but Bonnie could tell when he got frustrated because he didn’t comprehend their conversations. Bonnie mainly hung around with Freddy during the day, since they performed together. His existential dread was left to Foxy, since he didn’t have time to worry about that when he was playing the bass for children. Foxy spent a lot of time comforting young kids, but he also provided good solace for Bonnie. 

Everything was okay. Sure, the other animatronics weren’t always the most understanding. Occasionally Chica would stare at Bonnie blankly when he made any indirect references and Roxanne could barely comprehend the image of her own reflection, but they were his friends. He acknowledged and appreciated all of their quirks. 

Until Foxy was practically demolished. He had sent Bonnie an encoded message one night pleading with him to come to the utility tunnels. The fox said he couldn’t properly give Bonnie the information he needed to over the communication systems, but he could tell it in person. But when Bonnie got to the tunnels, it was too late. His plush exterior had been ripped and destroyed like a stuffed animal. A lot of it had been burnt and damaged by the sparking wires underneath. He wasn’t moving. His systems weren’t even glitching– there were no systems anymore. It was obvious that this was no accident. He had learned something he shouldn't have and he was trying to tell Bonnie, but something else had gotten to him first. Foxy was gone. 

Bonnie didn’t know what to do. He just stared at Foxy’s destroyed body, unable to even move. He was frozen with shock. When he began operating again, he dropped to his knees beside the fox and lifted up his limp head. A peculiar thing was the way the animatronics “cried.” Instead of watery tears, they were comprised of what appeared to be oil. Bonnie had never considered it too much. He was mainly focused on cleaning his outside of the staining liquid before management checked in on him in the mornings. 

His cybernetic tear ducts began to leak as his robotic body shook with sobs. There was so much to consider with this. His friend was gone. Something had killed him. They could all be taken out at any moment. Bonnie had never felt more artificial, and Foxy wasn’t there to comfort him anymore. 

He held onto the remains of his friend for as long as he could. He’d have to call management and– a dark part of him knew they wouldn’t repair Foxy. Foxy wasn’t necessary ever since the addition of Sun and Moon. He just didn’t require much maintenance due to the peaceful nature of his job. He just needed his exterior cleaned occasionally, which he had learned how to do himself. Repairing him would be too costly. 

The bunny clutched his friend close for a final time, inhaling sharply. He didn’t have the strength to move. He didn’t want to let go of Foxy and admit defeat. After an extended embrace, he rested Foxy’s head back down and brushed away his own tears. He grabbed hold of the red scarf that hung loosely around the fox’s neck and tucked it into his vest pocket.

“I’ll figure this out for you, Captain,” Bonnie sniffled. “I don’t know who did this– but– but I’ll find them.”

He took a few moments to scan his surroundings before sending a message to Freddy. He needed to meet somewhere less secretive. The bunny suggested that they meet in Freddy’s green room to discuss something very important. And to be honest, he was slowly becoming paranoid. Foxy was quite literally known for his cunning and intelligence. Bonnie would’ve never anticipated someone sneaking up on him and attacking him. And sure, Bonnie was a bunny and his ears would swivel to point towards any noise, but he wasn’t a fighter. All he had were his sharp claws which he only used to play his bass. He didn’t know how to utilize them for some form of combat. If someone attacked him, he’d be gone. He could run away, but could he even get away fast enough? He didn’t even know who he was up against.

But he couldn’t hang around and stare at Foxy’s corpse. He had to meet Freddy– this place was scaring the shit out of him. Bonnie wandered off, giving one last wistful glance to his lost friend before practically sprinting to the stairs that led up to the public area of the Pizzaplex. 

Bonnie actually caught up with Freddy and watched him enter his green room before scampering after the bear. Once he got into the room, Freddy turned to him and grinned. He clapped his hands together happily and gazed at Bonnie with warm, friendly eyes. Bonnie normally appreciated his enthusiasm, but he was still incredibly distraught over Foxy. Freddy noticed his tear stained face and his excited demeanor immediately dropped. His ears drooped and he looked at Bonnie with intense concern.

“Is there something wrong, Bonnie? You appear to be crying,” Freddy frowned, walking up to Bonnie and cautiously lifting his hands up to his face. He took a moment to clean off the rabbit’s cheeks– he didn’t always understand the concept of personal space. Bonnie didn’t mind. His hands were warm and comforting. 

Warm. Alive.

“Foxy– He’s gone,” he cried. After he said that, he practically fell apart. Seeing it was awful, but speaking it into existence was just an entire new level of pain. He fell forward, only to collapse into Freddy’s grasp. The bear hugged his waist and let Bonnie cry into his shoulder for a long time, not responding. He didn’t seem that upset and it was frustrating Bonnie. But, then again, Bonnie knew Freddy couldn’t wrap his head around loss like the bunny was able to. Bonnie didn’t think too hard about it. He just wanted to sit in Freddy’s arms.

“He cannot be gone, Bonnie,” Freddy mumbled, still not making Bonnie move. “If he is broken, they will fix him.”

“Oh, Freddy, you– you don’t get it,” Bonnie sobbed, accidentally squeezing Freddy a bit too hard. The bear squeaked with discomfort, and normally Bonnie would apologize, but he was too distressed to even consider it. “They’re not gonna do that. It’s– It’s– too much money.”

“But he is a part of the company! Everyone enjoys Foxy,” Freddy attempted to reassure him, pulling Bonnie back a bit and looking him in the eyes. He raised one hand to his face, cupping it carefully and tracing his thumb over the bun’s cheek. 

“They didn’t want him anymore anyway,” Bonnie wailed. “I don’t– he got attacked! Something hurt him on purpose!”

“No, that can not be! The Pizzaplex is very safe. Perhaps it was an accident,” the animatronic bear offered, one of his ears flicking. “Please do not cry. I do not like seeing you so sad. I am sure Foxy will be okay.”

“You’re not listening to me!” Bonnie’s eyes welled up with large tears and he broke into more violent sobs. “He’s not gonna come back! They’re gonna find him and they’re gonna throw him away like– like he’s just a piece of trash! They don’t care about us, Freddy, and now something is out– out to get us–”

“Do not worry. Nothing is going to get us. Even if Foxy is decommissioned, I am sure there is a reasonable explanation for this. You are just upset and it is making you anxious,” Freddy nuzzled his head gently. This was how Freddy displayed his affections– specifically to Bonnie. He would sometimes greet Bonnie like that. Occasionally, Bonnie would not positively respond to being touched and would aggressively recoil from Freddy. The bear would always respect that, though, even if he got confused by Bonnie’s comments. He understood that. Bonnie didn’t mind it now.

However, Freddy’s comment made him upset. 

“I’m not just– You should’ve seen him! He’s ripped apart,” the bunny huffed, ears flat against his skull. “Something hurt him. Why don’t you believe me?”

“Oh Bonnie, I believe you. I just would like to look at the better possibilities. I want to look at scenarios that you would be happy if they were true,” Freddy hugged Bonnie close again after lowering his hand, resting his head on top of Bonnie’s.

He was taking his liberties. Bonnie rarely let anyone this close.

Bonnie breathed shakily into Freddy’s neck, tears still pouring from his eyes. 

“I– I am here for you, Bonnie,” the animatronic said after Bonnie didn’t respond. “No matter what it turns out to be. I will be your friend always.”

Bonnie wanted to be frustrated at Freddy for not taking this seriously, but he couldn’t. Freddy was so sweet and he had good intentions– he just couldn’t grasp some concepts and it made him look a bit insensitive. 

And he was too tired to argue with him on it. He didn’t have the energy to sit and be angry. The bear was so gentle with his movements too– how was Bonnie supposed to be mad? Perhaps Bonnie could explain it properly when he wasn’t so distraught.

“I know we aren’t– aren’t supposed to, but can I stay in here with you? I’m scared to be alone,” he cried softly after another long period of silence. “Please.”

Freddy was a chronic rule follower. Bonnie expected a rejection.

He felt Freddy tense up, but he didn’t immediately refuse Bonnie’s request. 

“Okay, Bon. I do not like to disobey, but this is… different. I want– I want to make you happy,” he smiled, pulling away from Bonnie a final time. “I think Vanessa will understand. I do not think she would scold us.”

“I want him to be okay,” Bonnie murmured, not really responding to Freddy’s statement. “But I’m– I can’t believe that he’s just gonna be fine.”

“That is alright. I can believe for the both of us,” Freddy gave a final nuzzle to Bonnie’s head. “You are welcome to stay here as much as you want, since I know you and Foxy would hang out at night. And I know you do not want to be alone.”

“Thank you,” Bonnie sighed, glancing over to the couch in Freddy’s green room. He fully pulled away from Freddy and sat down on it, staring down at his feet. He shuffled idly and tried so hard to not cry anymore. Of course, he failed. He began shaking with sobs, burying his face in his hands. His shoulders shook as he began crying all over again. Freddy’s ears shot up and he rushed over to Bonnie. 

“I’m sorry,” Bonnie mumbled into his hands, feeling bad for falling apart again. Freddy sat down beside him, whispering things that Bonnie didn’t even hear. He was glitching due to the stress– this had happened before. But normally, Foxy could calm him down. Freddy wasn’t used to seeing Bonnie like this and it was giving him equal amounts of stress. He felt Freddy’s hand carefully hold onto his wrist, pulling it down slowly and staring down at it. The bear seemed a bit sheepish, but he took Bonnie’s hand in his own and held it tight. Bonnie felt the sensation of his hand being held and it made the glitching stop. 

Warm.

“Can you hear me now?” Freddy tilted his head, still clutching the bun’s paw. 

Bonnie nodded, meeting Freddy’s gaze nervously. He couldn’t shake the worried stare Freddy was giving him.

“Good. Maybe you should deactivate for the night. I think it may help calm you down. I will watch over you and keep you safe,” Freddy offered, giving Bonnie’s hand a soft squeeze. Bonnie wondered how he knew sensations like that grounded him. Did he just think of it? 

“Okay. I’ll try but– you promise you’re not gonna walk off?” Bonnie blinked at him, eyes wide. 

“I promise. You know I do not go against my word,” the bear grinned, ears wiggling slightly as he spoke. “..You can deactivate with me holding your hand if you would like. I have nothing else to do.”

Bonnie normally would hate to inconvenience Freddy like this, but he was too terrified to try and refuse. He liked the sensation. He was going to appreciate it.

“Okay. Just tell Vanessa I accidentally deactivated in your room if she asks so you don’t have to deal with her,” the bunny exhaled, letting his body go limp. His eyes fluttered closed and he allowed his systems to completely shut off, resting for the first time that night. It wasn’t like human sleep. It was just forcibly going unconscious, but it allowed his systems to do some self-repair and overview damage that needed maintenance to check on. It was a nice reset, but  it made Bonnie’s existential crisis increase in intensity. That’s why he didn’t use them to calm himself down. He would always end up waking up in more distress. But his main concern wasn’t his given sentience as a robot. It was probably a little more leaning to the whole ‘dead friend’ thing. And the fact that said friend was most likely murdered.

However, his animatronic brain wouldn’t understand anything until he was reactivated at 6AM.

–

Bonnie reactivated at the expected time, watching as his system gave him various messages regarding the start-up. The world came into his view and he regained control of his sensors. Everything became how it should be in a few moments.

As soon as he realized he had control of his hand, he acknowledged the hand gripping his own. Freddy didn’t leave. Bonnie sighed with relief, appreciating Freddy’s dedication. He was a very compassionate friend. But as the word ‘friend’ ran through his mind, he was immediately reminded of the reason he’d ended up here in the first place.

Foxy. 

“Hello, Bonnie. I am glad to see that you are up and moving,” Freddy smiled weakly. Bonnie suddenly took note of the black stains on his face. He’d been crying. Why was Freddy crying? What had happened. “I– I do not have good news.”

If Bonnie had a beating heart, it would be racing right about now. However, he had plenty of physical signs to show his dismay. His nose was twitching wildly and his ears were practically glued to his head. Freddy didn’t release his hand. In fact, he grabbed his other hand and held it tight.

“We got a– a message from Vanessa earlier. Right before you woke up. Bonnie, he is–” Freddy stammered, his rounded ears lowering meekly. “Foxy. He is gone. Vanessa said management is not going to be repairing him due to the cost.”

Bonnie knew that was coming. He knew that was going to happen. He had told Freddy last night and he knew it was true. But why was he so upset and shocked? Did he happen to have some kind of hope that Foxy would be alright? He didn’t know what to do. His entire body was completely still. Freddy peered at him with those warm, blue eyes and Bonnie could tell he was trying so hard not to cry. He knew Freddy was optimistic– that was why he didn’t cry last night. He truly believed Foxy was going to be repaired. 

What now? None of them had ever had to handle loss before. The maintenance didn’t even see them as sentient beings. They were just objects, toys even.

“No, no,” Bonnie whispered, his voice box skipping violently. His systems were overloaded with the strong emotions sweeping over him. He didn’t know how he had it in him, but he started sobbing all over again. 

“Do– Do you mind if I hug you?” Freddy questioned, his voice gentle. However, he had a slight tremor in his voice. He was stressed too. The bunny animatronic glanced up at Freddy before throwing his arms around the bear, wildly wailing. He couldn’t even speak. He didn’t know what to do with himself. “I am so, so sorry. I– I have not felt this before. I do not know how– how to handle this.”

Freddy’s robotic response made Bonnie twitch uncomfortably. Freddy didn’t even understand what he was having to deal with. Foxy would’ve known what to say. Bonnie felt bitter. He was devastated in so many ways. 

“I’m gonna find out who did this,” Bonnie mewled, his voice saddened but furious all the same. Freddy squeezed him in response to this.

“Bon, Vanessa said it looked like an accident. Maybe you saw things differently because– because you found him. And you were scared,” the bear tried to calm Bonnie, but it was no use. In fact, it made him even angrier.

“I know what I saw!” Bonnie yelped, pulling away from Freddy. “Stop trying to convince me that I’m crazy!”

“I– I did not mean to upset you. I do not think you are lying, I was just giving a suggestion. You are sad, I do not want you to be angry as well,” Freddy murmured, clearly a little nervous at the sudden jump to anger. “I am sorry.”

“It’s fine. I just don’t know what to do,” Bonnie cried, holding his head in hands once again. “It’s just so unfair! But, I– I do know exactly what happened to him. Someone hurt him and I’m gonna find out who.”

“If that would help you to feel better, then please find out. But be safe. If something did happen to him, I do not want anything to happen to you as well,” Freddy nuzzled his head. It was familiar. Bonnie felt his systems grow warm, successfully heating up his metal exterior. 

He knew more emotions than Freddy did. He could name them and understand that sometimes, there wasn’t a solution or program to follow to solve them. But when it came to Freddy, Bonnie didn’t know what he felt. It wasn’t the same fondness he’d had for Foxy. Foxy was a dear friend.

Freddy was different. Their relationship wasn’t the same. Bonnie wished he could figure it out. He couldn’t use his own brain and his set programming wasn’t helping either. Whatever it was, it felt nice. It didn’t help him much at the moment, but Freddy’s presence was calming him down.

“Promise me that you will be wary,” Freddy held Bonnie’s head between his paws. His eyes were more intense and serious– it was a look he had not seen before. 

“I promise,” Bonnie responded in a whisper. Freddy continued to hold his gaze for a few moments, his eyes scanning over the bunny. He sighed, looking away and lowering his hands. “I am worried. I– I fear that you are right about the attack. I do not know what to do.”

“You don’t have to do anything. You’re the star, Fazbear. You’re gonna get fixed,” Bonnie shrugged, sniffling once again. Freddy did not look soothed by this answer.

“I do not worry about myself. I worry for you and the others. While I was having maintenance done, I heard something I was not supposed to. I do not like eavesdropping,” Freddy began fidgeting nervously. Despite Bonnie’s current situation, he found Freddy’s nervous ‘rule-breaking’ quite endearing. “They are building a new animatronic to go into that golf course. An alligator, I believe. I do not know why I have such an unpleasant feeling about this new animatronic.”

“It can’t be a replacement for Foxy,” Bonnie frowned. “It’s not even going into the same place. What’s the point of this new–”

Then, it hit Bonnie.

“Foxy didn’t have a place in the band. What– What if they replace someone else in the band with this new–”  Bonnie’s voice box cut as the panic built up. Freddy gripped his face, whispering soft comforts despite his own shakiness. “I can’t lose anyone else– and I don’t wanna die,” he finally managed to get out. 

“I know, Bon. I do not want to lose anyone either. I will do what I can to protect you,” he reassured the bunny, continuing to hold his face. “Just stay close to me at night. At least for now. Even if there is nothing, I would rather be safe than sorry. We need to alert Vanessa about our concerns.”

Bonnie just sat wordlessly, wiping his tears for a final time. 

“Everything will be okay, Bonnie. We will be safe. I want to keep you safe,” he tried his best to offer solace yet again. Bonnie felt bad for not perking up at Freddy’s promises, but the bunny couldn’t bring himself to do it. He at least felt safe. Freddy gave him a slight sense of security.

He would find Foxy’s attacker and he would fix everything. 

–

Freddy feared he had created a monster. Bonnie had quickly become obsessed with the idea of finding who had attacked Bonnie. Freddy had told Vanessa and she promised she would look into it, but that brought no peace to the purple rabbit. He was dead set on finding the assailant himself and bringing them to justice. Freddy tried to convince him that Vanessa would figure it out and that he should take a step back, but it had made Bonnie angry. Freddy defused the situation somehow and kept peace between them. He didn’t want Bonnie to run from him, so he needed to maintain Bonnie’s emotions. It had quickly become stressful and their performances were.. Lacking. 

Everyone was still grieving Foxy, first of all. But management didn’t understand how robots could comprehend death and just kept pushing them further. Bonnie was lashing out at employees and barely cooperated anymore. Roxy had become slightly obsessed with the idea of making herself perfect to avoid being replaced. Chica had found out that she could eat, and she was digging through whatever she could find. Freddy didn’t have any clear issues.

But he was stressed out. Immensely. He was worried about his friends constantly. Especially Bonnie, who swore up and down he was getting closer to figuring it out each day. Freddy found it hard to believe. It seemed like a complete lost cause, and it looked more and more like it had just been some kind of freak accident. Roxy and Chica also tried to reason with him to no avail. He would just lash out at them and call them stupid before storming off to hide behind Freddy. It was a nightmare. Freddy didn’t know how to please Bonnie and his other friends, so he had decided that he needed to have a conversation with the bun about this whole ordeal. He was scaring everyone and making everyone unreasonably upset, especially considering they were still mourning. 

Vanessa had summoned Bonnie to the security office (one of many, actually) one night and Freddy was waiting patiently for him outside the door. The walls were soundproof, but when Bonnie came out, it was obvious what’d happened.

He looked incredibly distraught. He was shaking– with what emotion, Freddy wasn’t sure. But he knew it wasn’t a positive one. Vanessa had clearly told him something displeasing. What could it have been? His cybernetic brain pondered over a plethora of possibilities, many dark and violent, but he settled on it being that Vanessa had just yelled at him because of his behavior.

“We need to go to your room. Now,” he muttered, walking off without another word. Freddy scampered after him, ears drooping unhappily at Bonnie’s indifferent comment. He couldn’t even detect the emotion behind it, no matter how many times he replayed it in his head. That was his biggest frustration with Bonnie. Bonnie was so complex and mysterious. Freddy’s programming couldn’t keep up with the bunny’s mood swings and oddly independent thoughts. Roxy and Chica were predictable and it was familiar. Each hangout with Bonnie was different from the last. He loved it, sometimes. It was exciting and Bonnie was good fun. But other times, not understanding the issue made Freddy panic. 

Despite himself, he followed Bonnie all the way back to his own green room. Bonnie made sure no one was around before shutting the curtains, inhaling sharply.

“I know exactly who did it,” he growled, ears pinned flat against his head. Freddy felt his shoulders sink. Not this topic.

“Who?” Freddy questioned regardless, although he was nervous about the reply. 

“Vanessa. He found out something he shouldn’t have and she killed him,” Bonnie snapped, foot stamping irritably. Bunny mannerisms.

“Oh, Bonnie, Vanessa is helping us,” Freddy smiled, trying to soothe Bonnie’s rising anger. “She is our friend. She told me she was looking into it.”

“No! She lied to you, Freddy! God, you can’t just believe every word that comes out of someone’s mouth! People lie, Fazbear. Shocking, I know. One of the most important people in my life got murdered and every time I try to talk to you about it you just shut me down and paint me as crazy! You haven’t said that to me, but I know what you told Chica. They didn’t give me these giant ears for nothing,” Bonnie yelled, clenching his fists. “You treat me like I’m some crazed animal. I just– I just want to know who destroyed him.”

Freddy was a bit more than upset at Bonnie’s comments.

“I only told Chica that I was concerned for you because you were obsessing over this,” Freddy frowned, staring at the floor. “I did not mean to hurt your feelings.”

“It’s not even just that! You never hear me out on anything and I just want you to listen to me, for just a few moments– something’s going on and if you don’t take my word for it, something bad is going to happen. Vanessa killed Foxy and she’s gonna kill any of us if we get in her way,” Bonnie coldly responded. He was beyond infuriated. “Why don’t you care? Because you’re the star and you’re gonna blindly trust her no matter what?”

“I am sorry,” Freddy began, but he quickly realized he had become a bit angry too. He wished he had never said what he continued with. “...sorry that you have become so obsessed with the possibility of a murder that you refuse to listen to any voice of reason! I am sorry I made you feel like you were crazy, but there is no need to try and make me feel stupid. I know I do not always understand but– but I am not an idiot, Bonnie. And if you think I am, then maybe you should go figure this out on your own.”

Bonnie’s eyes welled up with angry tears and Freddy fought back the urge to wipe them away. What had he just done?

“So you’re just sending me off? Just like that?” Bonnie stammered, his voice still quivering with rage. “You’re still not gonna even listen?”

“You clearly do not think I am smart enough to listen,” Freddy squinted, keeping his feet planted and not approaching Bonnie. He felt guilty. He didn’t like whatever this emotion was. But he was tired of Bonnie’s insanity over this situation. It wasn’t good for anyone.

“If I thought you were dumb, I would’ve never even told you! You’re being so unreasonable!” the bunny snapped back, his foot still thumping wildly against the ground.

“ I am the one being unreasonable? You swear up and down that Vanessa committed a murder that you do not even know if it is a murder. You do not need me to help you, clearly. So leave, Bonnie. Just for tonight. I do not want to talk about this right now,” Freddy mumbled the last part, feeling less confident with each passing moment.

“I do need your help,” Bonnie suddenly changed his entire demeanor, body language shifting intensely. “Please don’t make me go. I– I need to at least tell you–”

“Why do you need my help? You’ve come this far on your own,” Freddy narrowed his eyes, finding it harder to fight his programming telling him to get rid of the sadness in front of him. He wanted to fix it, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t fix everything. He needed to learn that.

“Because– I– I love you, Freddy. And I want you– you here for this, but you just– just make me feel crazy–” Bonnie sobbed. Freddy froze, his AI struggling intensely to unpack the meaning behind that word. Love? Was he meant to know what that was? Was he meant to feel it too? Did he feel it? “I’ll just go. See you tomorrow,” Bonnie sniffled, running out the door before Freddy could make any effort to call after him. He just watched the bunny go, hating the feeling of dread that surged through him. He wanted to go after Bonnie so badly, but he just needed to let the rabbit cool off. He needed to calm down himself– he had gotten uncomfortably worked up over that. He wasn’t supposed to feel anger in that magnitude. 

He wasn’t supposed to feel anything but happiness. Freddy was learning more about himself and he did not like it one bit. One word kept playing in his mind over and over again.

Love.

–

He didn’t see Bonnie the next morning. He checked everywhere and Bonnie was nowhere to be found. The bear was full of dread. He didn’t want to find Bonnie dismantled somewhere, but he was beginning to think that was the only way he’d find the bunny. Time seemed to move so slowly as he called Bonnie’s name around the Pizzaplex, hating the tears streaming down his face. If Bonnie was gone, then he was right. Vanessa had killed Foxy and Bonnie had found out, so she had taken him out as well. He refused to admit defeat. Maybe Bonnie was hiding out. Freddy had been rather dismissive to him last night– maybe he just wanted to be alone up until the performance. Freddy could respect that, but he was still terrified that something had happened.

He overheard Vanessa talking with the maintenance team. His heart sank.

“We’re gonna need another bass player,” Vanessa sighed. “Well, if it were up to me– Monty’s an alligator so it’d make more sense for him to have the sharp bass-playing claws. Bonnie never really made sense, y’know? Sad that happened, though. I think the star of our show is gonna be a little bit saddened. I used to find those two holding hands in Freddy’s green room. Don’t know why you guys made those things so sentient.”

“Monty’s a good idea. It’s weird that on his first night out, Bonnie went missing. Maybe he was looking for a spot in the band instead,” the maintenance worker laughed. He laughed. “Yeah, we might have to close for today so we can upgrade Monty and get him the right stuff. Bonnie’s down in Parts and Services– they’re salvaging what they can. You should go make your suggestion.”

Freddy didn’t even register the rest of their conversation. Was this how Bonnie felt when he found Foxy laying on the ground? But he couldn’t even see Bonnie. He just happened to overhear something he wasn’t supposed to. Nothing made sense. The world went completely silent and warning signals flashed all over his vision. He couldn’t feel anything in his hands and the numbing sensation slowly descended to his feet. He fell forward, collapsing onto his knees. Was this what Bonnie’s anxious episodes felt like? Bonnie wasn’t here to navigate him through this.

He was probably so scared when it happened. Freddy hadn’t even gotten the chance to make anything right. The bear didn’t get to ponder over his feelings. Love. 

All he felt right now was absolute despair. He didn’t notice the tears. He didn’t notice the trembling of his body. He didn’t notice Roxy and Chica holding him and trying to ask what was going on. He didn’t notice how long he’d been sitting there.

“Freddy! Snap out of it!” Chica squawked, shaking his shoulders. His vision slowly returned and he once again regained control of his systems. His rounded ears drooped unhappily and his face was practically covered in dark liquid from his tears. “What’s wrong with you? Where’s Bonnie at? He’s usually like, three feet away from you all the time.”

“Bonnie,” he whispered, struggling to get that single, fragile word out. Chica placed a hand on his back, patting it comfortingly and trying to get an answer out of the bear. “Oh, Bonnie,” Freddy repeated, resting his head in his hands and sniffling.

“What about Bonnie, Fred?” Roxy frowned, crouching down beside him. 

“He– He is gone,” he sobbed, choking back more robotic sobs. He heard the other two robots gasp with horror. Everything was deathly silent. Those three words– they didn’t give much detail, but they told the others everything they needed to know. They knew what Bonnie had been so scared of all this time.

“You’re not– You’re not playing with us, right?” Roxy stated, pupils dilated and clearly disturbed. “Cause that’s a pretty sick joke.”

“No,” Freddy sniffled. “I wish– I wish it was just a joke. He is gone.”

Nobody knew how to move on from this. What was there to be said? What could fill the void of silence that Bonnie had so quickly left behind? 

“He was right,” Chica stammered. “There is something out to get us. What are we supposed to do?” 

She turned to Roxy before her own tears started flowing, gripping onto the canine sadly. Roxy hugged her close and tried to hold her composure. How was she supposed to do so when they had suffered so many significant losses?

Bonnie. 

Freddy couldn’t see anything but images of Bonnie replaying in his head. Over and over again. He would just see the last few moments they spent together. Bonnie’s tears and irritated stamps, desperately pleading for Freddy to hear him out. Freddy brushed him off and he was right. And Bonnie had been the one to pay for it. It was terribly unfair. What had Bonnie done to deserve this? Sure, the last few weeks were a bit rough, but Bonnie was grieving. Of course he was going to act a bit peculiar. 

Freddy’s synthetic heart ached for the bunny. He wanted to nuzzle the bunny’s forehead one more time and promise him that he wasn’t just in a crazed obsession with discovering the attacker. He promised Bonnie that he would protect him. Poor, poor Bonnie. Freddy had failed him. If he had just contained his emotions for a little longer, he would’ve managed to calm Bonnie down. The bunny could’ve been safe in his green room.

He had accidentally led Bonnie to his doom because he let his emotions get out of control. One time was all it took. He could never let it happen again. Freddy realized he needed to keep Roxy and Chica safe now. He would save them where he had failed Bonnie. 

This was a cruel twist of fate. Freddy still hadn’t pulled himself off of the ground. His eyes were glued to the floor beneath him as he disappeared back into his brain. All Freddy could see now was Bonnie laying on the ground in his final moments. He was shivering and his endoskeleton was exposed. He was crying and pleading for Freddy. 

He’d failed Bonnie. He had failed everyone. He had already thought about it a million times, but how would he ever be able to not? He would feel guilty forever. 

“Fred, we gotta get you back to your room. Your casing is– it’s ruined,” Roxy mewled, attempting to haul Freddy up. “C’mon, big guy.”

Chica tried to give her assistance, but she was too shaky. Roxy was mutually struggling, but Freddy eventually got himself up. 

“He is in Parts and Services. I– I need to see him again. One more time,” Freddy mumbled, much to the dismay of Roxy and Chica. “You do not have to go. This is for me to do.”

He bounded away from the others before they could get a word of disapproval out. He hadn’t moved so fast in his entire life. Sure, he was terrified to see Bonnie just laying there lifelessly, but he wanted to visit the bunny a final time. His main goal was to apologize to what was left of him so maybe he’d soothe the already building regret. 

Poor Bonnie.

Getting to Parts and Services had never been so quick. Mainly because Freddy never rushed to get there– but he just wanted to try and do this. He hoped the bunny was still there by the time he got down. Even more significantly, he hoped the employees would let him say his last wishes. 

When he entered the maintenance room the employees all looked up at him with confusion. They were still standing around a mess on the floor– a pile of purple metal and whatnot. 

“I knew that thing would come down here,” one of the workers huffed. “The programmers made these things too human. Looks like that one’s been crying.”

“Shh!” another one scolded. “Freddy, what brings you down here?” they asked kindly, approaching the animatronic bear. 

“I want to see him,” he sniffled, wiping more blackened tears off of his face. The maintenance worker’s eyes softened and they nodded. 

“Okay. You can have a few moments with him, if you’d like,” they stated, turning to the others and nodding. They all stepped away from what was left of Bonnie. Freddy crouched beside him, surveying the damage.

His face plate had been ripped off entirely, along with his eyes. It was all laid out on the ground beside him, torn apart and mangled. His casing was completely destroyed in multiple places and he was sparking still. No twitching or movement occurred. He really was gone. 

Freddy nuzzled the back part of his head, crying even more intensely. There was something even more saddening about the way he was destroyed. How much of it had Bonnie felt? He hoped his systems went down quickly when it happened.

“I am sorry. I– I failed you, Bonnie,” Freddy cried, clutching his limp body. “I should have listened to you.”

He remembered Bonnie having one of Foxy’s scarves when he died. Had that made it easier to handle? He wasn’t sure, but he was going to have his own memorabilia of Bonnie. He rested a hand on one of his floppy ears, glancing at what he wanted to collect. Bonnie had a pair of small red earrings in the shape of hoops. Freddy took one– he would let Bonnie’s body keep the other one. Maybe it made him feel closer to the bunny. 

“Hey, big guy,” the kind maintenance worker smiled at him, laying a hand on his shoulder. “I can put a hole in your ear and you could wear that if it’d help you feel better.” 

Freddy nodded almost immediately, giving one last glance to Bonnie and sighing. 

“Don’t waste our time with that. Just got a message from management that we gotta take Bonnie’s claws,” one of the other staff members groaned. “It’s just a heap of metal.”

“It won’t take me long. I just need to put one hole in his ear,” the worker narrowed their eyes at their coworker and grabbed Freddy by the hand. They sat him down and began working, but Freddy didn’t pay any attention to it. He just watched the workers carry Bonnie into the cylinder, struggling to lay his body out properly due to the severity of the damage. 

“Was Bonnie your friend?” the maintenance worker sighed, seeming a bit nervous about Freddy’s response.

“I think so,” he sniffled, wiping more tears off of his face. “But I do not know if that was the right word. Roxy and Chica are my friends, but they– they were not like him.”

The worker paused, clearly not ecstatic to hear this. 

“What do you mean?” they questioned, clutching his ear and preparing to properly insert this hole.

“He told me that he loved me. But I do not know what that feels like. I did not have enough time to think about love ,” Freddy had never felt so solemn before. He still couldn’t understand that word. He wished he was more like Bonnie.

“If you can feel sadness over a loss, then you feel some form of love. There’s many different kinds of love, Freddy. You’ll just have to find out what Bonnie meant to you– I’m sorry that this is how you have to figure it out. Management said we weren’t allowed to fix him up,” the worker offered their own attempt at solace. “Maybe in the future.”

Freddy nodded, still watching Bonnie’s figure.

“What will they do with him?” Freddy mewled, wincing as the worker finished clearing the newly founded hole in his ear. He handed them the earring and they clipped it in properly.

“Well, he’s probably gonna get stored in a backroom with Foxy’s parts. He won’t get tossed out. This company won’t waste any parts. They’ll probably use what wasn’t destroyed to make repairs in the future,” they explained, fiddling with the earring to make sure everything was in place. 

“Okay. Thank you,” Freddy nodded, standing up and keeping his eyes locked on Bonnie the entire time he walked out. He whispered a final sorry before leaving. The second the door clicked shut, it all seemed to sink in. He buried his face in his hands, unsure of where to go from this point. 

Bonnie would’ve known what to do. Bonnie may have been different when he lost Foxy, but he didn’t stay down. He wanted nothing but to figure out what happened. Freddy couldn’t even make sense of his own emotions or even Bonnie’s words. He wished Bonnie would’ve been more predictable so maybe Freddy would know how to get through this. However, he knew that wasn’t true. He would never change a thing about Bonnie.

Would he ever know what Bonnie meant? About anything–?

Probably not.

–

Freddy had lost count of the days since Bonnie had died. Things just seemed to be getting worse. Roxy went from being a little bit worried about her public appearance to complete obsession. He could hear her talking to herself in the mirror every night. And with her upgraded vision, she attempted to talk to the other animatronics through the walls. She constantly asked them if they thought she was good enough to stay. Chica was too busy scavenging through every garbage bin in the building to help Roxy out. 

And the new animatronic. Monty.

He had an ominous aura. Something wasn’t right about him. And as the days went on, Freddy came to realize how nothing was right about any of his friends. He’d tried to chalk it up to Bonnie’s death, but he knew his friends. He knew that they weren’t acting right.

Bonnie would’ve been able to piece together what was going on, but Bonnie was gone. Freddy was too scared to investigate after seeing the things that had happened. He felt like he was letting Bonnie down, but how was he gonna solve anything? Every time anyone got close to the truth, they died. 

Freddy just wanted everything to go back to normal. He just wanted to come back to his green room and see that purple bunny sitting on the floor toying with whatever loose object he’d managed to get his paws on. Every trace of Bonnie was completely gone aside from the bowling alley. However, going up there hurt. It hurt more than anything. Seeing Bonnie’s face plastered in a world he had no connection to anymore felt like some kind of cruel joke. The artwork mocked Bonnie’s entire existence. Why have an entire location dedicated to a character they had disposed of?

And yet, he had no choice but to go back in, because a few hours ago, a random child had wandered into the Pizzaplex. He had no identity tied to him. The only thing Freddy knew about him was his name. Gregory.

Gregory had decided it would be a wise decision to come in after hours, even though he very clearly had not paid his way into the building. This normally wouldn’t be an issue, since Freddy could give him to security and they would call his parents– but after everything he had learned, it wasn’t safe. And his friends hadn’t been acting normal, so they were no help. 

They were quite the opposite. They were trying to hurt Gregory.

Bonnie would’ve known how to handle this, because Freddy sure did not.

He had allowed the kid to hide out in his chest cavity for as long as he had power. However, Vanessa knew that Freddy was aware of her behaviors. She had claimed that management placed him on reduced power, but it was all her doing to deter him from protecting Gregory. Freddy didn’t know why she was after this kid, but he had already sworn up and down to defend him. He’d failed Bonnie already. Maybe Gregory could be his shot at redemption. 

But Gregory had to go searching for something in Bonnie Bowl. And, of course, he wanted Freddy with him just in case there was anything lurking around in there. Freddy had not disclosed any details about his connection with Bonnie. Did Gregory even know Bonnie existed beyond wall art and branding? Had he heard about the bunny before he was destroyed?

Freddy hoped so. He didn’t know why, but he wanted more than one person to remember Bonnie. They would never know him like Freddy knew him, but at least they knew of him. 

Gregory wordlessly led the bear into the bowling alley and didn’t comment on the tremors in his systems. He just glanced around the establishment, checking every crook and nanny for his desired object or whatever clues he could find lying around. Freddy trailed behind him, too nervous to speak or pay attention to his surroundings. 

He watched in horror as Gregory bounded over to the stage, taking his sweet time investigating it. Freddy stood behind him and couldn’t help himself as he spoke his thoughts aloud.

“I do not come up here anymore. I miss him.”

Gregory turned to look up at him, eyes wide with concern and surprise. What was he surprised about? The fact there had been an animatronic here at some point? That was quite obvious, though. There was a stage and everything and Gregory had probably found maintenance notes regarding Bonnie’s decommission. Was he surprised at Freddy’s emotions? That was the more likely conclusion. Most, if not all humans didn’t see them as individuals. Bonnie had been right all along and Freddy hated that he had been correct.

Neither of them acknowledged Freddy’s comment further. They continued on and Freddy had never been more excited to leave an area than when he had left Bonnie Bowl. He felt a bit guilty at that– would Bonnie have gotten upset over that thought? Maybe not. After all, he hadn’t gone to Kids’ Cove after Foxy’s death. He would probably be understanding.

He had a lot of good memories in the bowling alley. They were all composed of Bonnie absolutely demolishing him at bowling, but they were fond nonetheless. Bonnie won every single time but those pink eyes still held the same excited gleam as if it were his first time winning. So why did he not want to relive them, if they were good? He hated this feeling. His electronic mind had been so confused and disoriented over Bonnie’s disappearance. If he had cared so much about Bonnie, why did it hurt to remember him? 

He wished he were human. Maybe then he would understand.

–

Bonnie had been wrong. It wasn’t Vanessa. 

The blonde security guard had been framed by Vanny and Glitchtrap. Freddy had painted her out to be this horrible villain when she was really just trying to help. She’d only lied about the reduced power thing because she didn’t know if Freddy was corrupted by Glitchtrap’s virus and she didn’t want to get her head bitten off. 

He didn’t blame her. 

(a/n: this is totally me being lazy. i could give some actual explanation but i’m taking the easy way out.)

So, with the help of Gregory and now Vanessa, they were able to extract the virus from the other animatronics. Once Glitchtrap and Vanny had no control over the bots, they’d lost their puppets. It was easy to rid of them from there, and somehow, everything went back to normal.

They all still had their quirks, since Foxy and Bonnie had never been truly addressed, but they weren’t out to get Gregory. However, they all still had to find some forgiveness for the way he had absolutely demolished them that night. Gregory didn’t care if they never forgave him. He was terrified of the other robots and only hung around Freddy. 

Speaking of which, Gregory had pretty much taken permanent shelter in the Pizzaplex. Apparently he was some orphaned child who was tired of bouncing around in the foster care system and escaped as soon as he could. He didn’t want to leave Freddy behind, so he’d chosen to stay there and treated the bear as his guardian. Freddy was quite attached to the kid and had no quarrel with him lingering around. During the daytime, while Freddy performed, Vanessa kept watch over Gregory and made sure he wasn’t forcibly removed from the premises. She didn’t give away the boy’s location to any officials, although his missing report had gone long overlooked by this point. 

Freddy sympathized with Gregory about that. When the case was basically dropped, Freddy could tell that behind the relief, Gregory was also hurt. People had just stopped caring about him as if he weren’t a human being. It reminded him of Bonnie. The night after Gregory found out the outside world had given up on him, Freddy found the poor kid crying in his green room. He was huddled beside the couch rather than on it, knees hugged close to his chest. He looked up at Freddy with wide, saddened eyes and tried to get rid of his tears.

“What is wrong, Gregory? Why are you crying?” Freddy frowned, crouching down in front of the boy. He tilted his head curiously.

“I– I thought I wanted everyone outside here to just give up on trying to find me, but– but now that they have, I–” Gregory was cut off by a hiccup as he cried. “I guess I just liked the thought  someone might still care. I mean– I’ve only been here for four months! Why would they give up that fast?”

Freddy gave Gregory the best smile he could manage despite the way his heart broke for the kid.

“The human world is cruel, Gregory. But they are not all there is to life,” he sighed. “I learned that from a very dear friend of mine a long time ago. If the human world has decided to reject you, then that is your loss. But I care for you, Gregory. You are very important to me.”

Gregory shuffled a bit before jumping into Freddy’s arms. It wasn’t the most comfortable place, considering he was made of metal, but Gregory didn’t seem to mind. Freddy returned his embrace, holding the kid close. 

He was still crying, but Freddy didn’t mind. Freddy would let Gregory cry as long as he needed to. He cared deeply for Gregory– definitely not in the way he had cared for Bonnie. He remembered the day Bonnie died. He specifically remembered the maintenance worker who had described that there were many different kinds of love. Freddy didn’t know how to categorize these feelings, but he knew this was different.

Typically, Gregory would sleep in Freddy’s room unbothered. Occasionally he would request for the bear to stay with him due to nightmares or just general paranoia and Freddy was more than happy to hang around with him. Tonight was one of those nights– especially considering the news Gregory had been handed. He wasn’t scared, though. The poor kid was just so saddened that he had been completely rejected by society. 

He was laid up against the robot currently, a pillow wedged between Freddy’s side and Gregory so he wasn’t lying on cold metal. Freddy assumed he was asleep, so he was a bit spooked when the boy stirred and began speaking.

“Freddy?” Gregory drowsily called out to him, glancing up at the bear. 

“Yes, Gregory?” Freddy replied swiftly, quickly recovering from the momentary startling. 

“You said something about a friend earlier. Who said that to you?” he questioned. Freddy inhaled sharply. He figured he would have to have this conversation eventually but he wasn’t sure when– he was honestly trying his best to avoid it. He didn’t know he’d mentioned Bonnie.

“..It was Bonnie. The bunny from the bowling alley,” Freddy began to explain, glancing down at the floor. “He was something special. He knew so much more than I did.”

“What happened to him?” Gregory’s expression fell. Freddy hated the tears that had begun to stain his face. He had never cried in front of Gregory. 

“Vanny destroyed him. He and I got into an argument and he stormed out of my room into Monty Golf and– that was the last time I ever spoke to him,” he tried not to stumble over his words. He hadn’t reflected on this night a lot. In fact, Freddy was trying his best to simply forget about it. 

“Why were you arguing? I didn’t even think you could get mad,” Gregory sat up so he was able to look Freddy in the eyes. Freddy hated thinking about this even more.

“Well, another animatronic was also destroyed by Vanny. He was Bonnie’s close friend and Bonnie became obsessed with finding out who had killed him. I tried to calm him down about it– but I was not listening to him. I dismissed him when he tried to talk to me about it that night and it just escalated,” Freddy’s ears drooped as he looked back on it, mechanical heart full of many regrets. Gregory nodded. “He told me something that night before he ran away and I still do not understand it. I do not know how it makes me feel.”

“Well, maybe I can figure it out for you!” Gregory smiled warmly, tugging on Freddy’s arm. “What was it?”

“He told me that he loved me.”

Gregory’s eyes went wide and then his expression looked even sadder.

“I did care about him a lot. He was funny and he seemed to know so much about the world that I could not understand,” Freddy watched Gregory appear to be a bit puzzled.

“So, did ya love him too? I think that’s pretty easy to know,” Gregory shrugged. Right. He wasn’t a robot.

“I do not know. He was always a lot more complex than I,” Freddy grimaced. Gregory nudged him with his hand. 

“What was spending time with him like? Was it different from your other friends? Did you like the way he looked? I need some more details,” Gregory giggled at the last bit. He seemed a bit more excited than he had earlier. As if he were onto something.

“It was the best! We would go bowling in his bowling alley. He won every time, as his programming commanded, but he would smile so wide and he would always tap his foot happily. It was always different from Roxy and Chica, I would say. I would always nuzzle his head and sometimes he would let me hold his hand– but I do not think I have ever done that with Roxy and Chica. When he asked me, I– I lied and told him that I did. I do not know why. It was like I felt… embarrassed,” he sheepishly continued reminiscing on Bonnie. Gregory nodded with a big smirk on his face.

“Ohh, Freddy,” Gregory laughed. “I didn’t know animatronics could… like like each other! That is so cool–”

It was as if he then remembered Bonnie was dead because he looked a bit guilty.

“Sorry. I forgot,” Gregory fidgeted uncomfortably. Freddy wiped the tears from his face.

“It is alright. I think if he were here I would tell him I loved him,” Freddy finally admitted. It felt right to say. He loved Bonnie. Loved.

“What’d they do with him once he got decommissioned?” Gregory asked. He seemed a bit perkier. Freddy wondered what had changed his demeanor. 

“They threw the spare parts into a backroom somewhere. I do not know exact details, but that is what maintenance told me,” the bear glanced up at the ceiling as he spoke. “You know, this earring belonged to him. A very kind maintenance worker gave me a hole to put it through so I could wear it. I did not take both, though. It makes me feel connected to him.”

“I’m glad you have it then,” Gregory yawned, nestling back up against Freddy. “Goodnight, Freddy.”

Freddy delicately patted Gregory on the head, taking note that his hands could cause pain if he wasn’t careful. 

“Goodnight,” he sighed.

–

Gregory had been given a mission now. 

Find Bonnie and put him back together.

Freddy had saved him that fateful night. He’d taken Gregory in and protected him fiercely. He was the closest thing to a guardian he had probably ever had. It was about time Gregory earned his stay. 

Watching Freddy struggle with his romantic feelings for Bonnie was intriguing. It seemed obvious to Gregory, even if he was just a kid– he’d watched movies and seen couples in the world outside the Pizzaplex. Freddy was a robot, though. He was never taught how to understand his negative or confusing emotions– and love always seemed to be confusing. People seemed to be confused by it too. He couldn’t imagine what it was like for Freddy.

But Gregory was determined to help bring Bonnie back, no matter what. And now that the Pizzaplex was safe and he realized Vanessa was on his side, things were a lot less terrifying. However, he was not an engineer. He was simply a nine year old child who happened to end up here. Vanessa was not trained either– the only people he had that could possibly be helpful were the animatronics themself. 

He wanted it to be a surprise for Freddy, and he also didn’t want to get the bear’s hopes up only to realize the bunny was unfixable. So his only safe option was ruled out. He was going to have to recruit the others. 

Vanessa promised him that she would be there and make sure nothing bad happened, but Gregory knew that he would be incredibly paranoid the entire time. Nothing would probably change that. With Vanessa, he could at the very least tolerate it. 

However, step one was locating the backroom where Bonnie had been stuffed. He had to find the animatronic and assess the damages. He decided to do with this Vanessa– he wanted to postpone the whole… ‘work with the ones who tried to murder him’ thing as long as he could. Plus, Vanessa had seen more of the building. She dug through every file until she found the messages and emails regarding Bonnie’s decommission. Using this, she was able to find the location of Bonnie’s parts. He doubted finding Bonnie would be the hard part, considering Vanessa had access to all of that. However, he was very concerned about Bonnie’s conditions. An attack probably wouldn’t be clean, since robots weren’t like people. The person who took Bonnie out most likely would’ve wanted to make sure there was no chance of repair. 

..Which would definitely be problematic in the situation of a repair.

And sure enough, when he and Vanessa made their way to the labeled backroom, what they found was a giant pile of scrap metal that happened to be purple. Vanessa gathered all of it into a crate and toted it silently to Parts and Services. Gregory didn’t say anything either. He was beginning to get nervous that this was nothing but a hopeless idea. 

“I got basic training in repair just in case anything happened during the night and the actual machine for repairs might can assist us, but this is going to take some time and effort,” Vanessa sighed as she scanned over the mess of parts. Gregory could make out a busted head and a face plate. “And as much as I hate to tell you this, the other animatronics are gonna have to give us a hand. I know one maintenance worker who might be willing to help us but they’re pretty busy.”

“Do you think we can at least sort the parts tonight? I can tell what’s supposed to go with his head– jeez, he’s really messed up,” Gregory scowled, frustrated by the sheer amount of damage. 

“Maybe. I might can tell what the parts are, considering my training– you go ahead and sort the head out. I’ll try and decipher the rest,” the blonde headed worker rubbed at her temples before crouching down, carefully digging into the parts and doing her best to decide what everything was. Gregory lifted up the head, struggling due to the sheer weight. He couldn’t imagine trying to do this with the head fully intact.

“If we can at least build him, he definitely isn’t gonna look all that put together,” Gregory muttered as he investigated the cracked face plate. 

“This is gonna be a lot of work, little dude,” Vanessa huffed. “You’re lucky this place is so boring at night and I’ve got time to do this.”

“It’s worth it! It’s for Freddy!” Gregory beamed, setting the head down in its respective pile. He noticed the floppy ears and took note of the red earring that sat in one of them and then the empty hole in the other. Freddy had really taken that from him. 

It was depressing to look at. Gregory couldn’t imagine how he felt. Especially because he knew the company wouldn’t take into account that the animatronics experienced grief and sadness. Did they think giving them the ability to cry would fix it?

“Whatever you say, kiddo,” Vanessa laughed. 

From that point on, they began the hard labor towards repairing Bonnie. Much to Gregory’s dismay, the other animatronics did begin pitching in. Having five extra sets of hands proved to be very useful. However, they weren’t the brightest, and while it was helpful, it didn’t make the process much faster.

Chica cried as she looked over Bonnie’s scattered parts, weeping about her lost friend more than she actually attempted to fix him. However, she did require a lot of maintenance done on herself quite frequently, and she could identify parts simply from her experiences. When she wasn’t busy crying, she was a good help.

Roxy tried too hard to be helpful. And since none of them were trained, they all messed up from time to time. When Roxy messed up, she took it to heart. She would sit in a corner and scowl the entire rest of the repair session, scolding herself intensely. The only one who could bring her out of these anger episodes was Chica, who was usually too busy crying.

Sun was still a perfectionist, even if he wasn’t affected by the virus anymore. He hated the mess the others would make. He would sort everything into piles and absolutely lose his mind if something was put out of place. Looking at the mess of Bonnie’s body made him anxious, which was sometimes helpful because it encouraged him to actually work.

Moon was probably the quickest when it came to actual work. But he didn’t communicate anything he was doing with the others, so he would just get way ahead of the others and not say a word. So, the others would mess something up, and Moon would get frustrated and storm off. Sun usually could calm him down and bring him back.

Monty.. Monty seemed unsure about even doing this. He barely contributed and just hung out with the others while Bonnie was reconstructed. It made Gregory very, very uncomfortable, but Monty seemed equally as displeased with this rebuilding. When anyone tried to question him on why this was this case, he would just shrug and say he’d never met Bonnie and didn’t know what to expect. Vanessa admitted to Gregory that she was a bit skeptical as well. 

Their most efficient nights were the nights the actual maintenance worker came to help. Their name was Jesse and apparently they had recently had a child of their own and had to spend most of their time with the baby. However, they came as much as they could without sacrificing the wellbeing of their kid. They also swore to secrecy about Gregory and seemed pleased that he’d gained Freddy as a guardian.

Jesse knew what they were doing and gave everyone solid, useful orders. They made great progress those nights. However, Jesse wasn’t able to come much. So it was a painfully slow rebuild. In all, it took them about six months to complete Bonnie. And by the time they were done, he still looked like he was on the verge of falling apart. But he had a structure and had been tested to make sure he was able to stand freely. 

All that was left was to upload his AI to his systems. Everyone was gathered around the protective cylinder. Jesse was sitting at the computer, scanning through the files for Bonnie’s AI. It hadn’t been deleted, for possible future uses.

Gregory hoped Bonnie would be okay with his new appearance. Some of his pieces had been used for other repairs. Half of his face was cracked open and the eye on that section was gone. His vest had been ripped to shreds and they had decided to simply discard it. He had giant cracks on his casing and one of his hands was missing the casing. Gregory just prayed that the bunny was at least in working order. 

“Alright. I’ve found it,” Jesse announced. Everyone perked up and their eyes were glued onto the rabbit resting inside the cylinder. Slowly but surely, lights began glowing in the exposed bits of Bonnie’s casing. He began twitching all over and loud static was played from his throat. Gregory quickly covered his ears, muttering something about despising the noise. He tried to keep watch over Bonnie while muffling the horrid choked noises escaping the robot.

Then, he fell completely still. Everyone drooped over sadly for a few moments, looking a bit defeated. Until the bunny sat up. Almost eerily.

Chica gasped and placed her hands against the glass. Bonnie’s remaining eye flitted over to her, wide and terrified. He was trembling all over but Gregory didn’t know if that was from his unstable build or fear. He raised the shattered hand, looking down at his exposed endoskeleton. Bonnie looked around once again, clearly incredibly distraught over his awakening. 

The cylinder opened and Chica was the first one to run in, standing in front of Bonnie in total disbelief. She clearly hadn’t expected this ragtag team of robots, one security guard, and a child to be able to reconstructed a high tech, sentient animatronic. 

“Bonnie!” she suddenly squeaked, running forward and hugging the bunny. Bonnie’s ears perked up before he shakily returned the embrace, still very bewildered. “It’s been so long! You’re– You’re up and moving!”

Everyone filed in. The animatronics went in first to greet their lost friend, overwhelming the bun greatly. Everyone except Monty. Monty acknowledged Bonnie’s presence before wandering off. Gregory brushed off the reptile’s strange demeanor and watched the reunion inside the cylinder.

“Can–” Bonnie tried to speak, only to get cut off by a high pitched shriek. He threw a hand over his mouth, once again experiencing the horrors of his weak build as the exposed endoskeleton slammed against his jaw and sent an electric shock through his body. His eye was wide with fear as the electricity surged through him. “Explain!” he squeaked instead, obviously frustrated.

“You– You got destroyed and we put you back together!” Chica grinned, wiping a happy tear from her face. “You’re back!”

“What– I’m– I’m so broken,” he stammered, voice box skipping. That was an obvious issue. The glitchy manner of his voice was all too similar to Chica’s outraged shrieking when Gregory stole her voice box entirely. He didn’t want to freak out in front of everyone. He simply hid close to Vanessa who took sympathy on the boy, patting him on the head. 

“Yeah. We weren’t working with much,” Chica fidgeted nervously. “But still! You’re here and that’s what matters.”

Everyone began chirping again and Bonnie was displeased by the sheer amount of activity surrounding him. 

“Freddy,” Bonnie murmured, keeping his voice low as if that would avoid the strangled noises. 

“Oh, right. He wants to see Freddy,” Roxy pointed out. 

“Where–?” the bunny questioned, looking a bit scared. 

“He’s up in his green room. We didn’t tell him we were fixing you up,” Sun clapped his hands together blissfully. “Oh, he’s going to be so happy! We need to get you up there quickly, friend!”

“This is not going to be easy. He’s gonna need help walking. He hasn’t been active in almost two years,” Vanessa groaned. She was entirely correct. The other animatronics helped hold him up, since neither Vanessa, Gregory, or Jesse had any chance of being able to support his weight. Bonnie’s legs were like jelly beneath him. They creaked and sparked if he put too much pressure on them. 

Bonnie was also not pleased about this ordeal. He complained about his appearance. He said Freddy would be mad at him. He tried to convince everyone that the bear didn’t want anything to do with him, but everyone had been around Freddy and knew the absolute lack of truth in that statement. Bonnie didn’t know that, though. He was convinced Freddy didn’t like him. 

They stood outside of Freddy’s green room and decided to give Bonnie a few moments to collect himself.

“He isn’t– He isn’t gonna wanna see– see me,” Bonnie struggled over his words, squirming in Roxy and Chica’s hold as if he would even be able to run away. “Please. I did– did something dumb.”

“You’ve been dead. We haven’t. He’s gonna be thrilled,” Moon sighed, moving behind Bonnie to make sure he didn’t wiggle around enough to collapse out of the others grasp. 

“Alright, let’s get this over with!” Gregory chirped, running into Freddy’s room before anyone could stop the kid. Freddy was standing beside the wall, busy hanging up a drawing someone had given him during the day. He turned to Gregory, smiling down at the boy.

“Hello, Gregory! You seem to be in high spirits!” the bear laughed, walking over to the kid. Gregory held out his hand, grinning from ear to ear.

“Yeah, yeah– come on, I have to show you something!” Gregory said almost too quickly. Freddy seemed concerned, but he took the boy’s hand and followed him outside. 

“I do like a good–” Freddy began, but he froze mid sentence as he fixed his gaze onto the shattered bunny. Bonnie held eye contact for a few brief moments before staring at the ground, ears drooping sadly. “..Surprise,” he finished his sentence in a low murmur, still not moving an inch.

“Yeah, well– Yippie,” Bonnie huffed, voice glitching. He sank lower in the others’ hold with embarrassment. Freddy suddenly bolted forward, practically yanking Bonnie up and hugging him close. Bonnie yelped with surprise, but it came out as a horrid screech. Everyone flinched except for Freddy. 

“Careful, big guy! He’s fragile!” Jesse chuckled as they watched the reunion. 

Bonnie seemed very, very shocked. 

“Maybe we should give them a moment, eh?” Moon shrugged, pointing at the tears flowing down Freddy’s face. Everyone agreed and wandered off, presumably to get together and discuss their own affairs and how they felt about Bonnie’s reconstruction. Gregory walked off with Vanessa with the proudest grin on his face that he could possibly manage.

–

Freddy helped Bonnie into his green room and sat him down cautiously, holding onto his intact hand and nervously smiling.

Bonnie was not pleased. This was a miserable existence, he’d quickly realized. The only thing helping him at the moment was Freddy’s presence. The familiar hand clutching his own made his sporadic systems calm down just a bit.

“I– I have so much I want to say. I do not think I know where to start,” Freddy laughed, using his free hand to wipe his face clean. 

“Maybe a hello,” Bonnie teased, trying to ignore the popping of his voice box. Freddy noticed his dismay and his own ears drooped, but he smiled at Bonnie’s comment.

“I think I need to say more than that, if that is okay,” the bear flicked an ear. Right. He had taken it seriously. Bonnie nodded in acknowledgment. “I– I am sorry. I dismissed you and that was not right of me and I understand if you are not alright with me still.”

“Freddy, you big dork,” Bonnie sighed fondly. “I– I practically called you a–” he glitched out for a few moments, body convulsing wildly. Freddy held his hand tight as he rode out the twitching. “Sorry. It happens. But– But I made you feel dumb. And I was kinda crazy, considering Vanessa’s still here.”

“Well, you may have been wrong about that, but it was an attack. But you probably knew that, since you were also attacked–?” Freddy tilted his head, absentmindedly squeezing Bonnie’s hand. 

“..I don’t remember,” Bonnie frowned, ears drooping. Or, they attempted to. He cried out as electricity surged through them and made them twitch unnaturally. He escaped the convulsing whilst panting heavily, shivering unhappily. 

“That is okay. Maybe some of your memories got destroyed in the attack,” Freddy offered, leaning closer to Bonnie unknowingly. The distance was slowly being closed and eventually Freddy was pressed right up against Bonnie’s side. Bonnie was grateful as his weight was allowed to rest against Freddy. 

“I think you stole something from me, Fazbear,” Bonnie giggled, trying his best to point to the earring. Freddy suddenly grew very hot. His ears fell bashfully.

“I am sorry, I– I do not know why I took it,” the bear mumbled. He seemed very embarrassed. Bonnie nudged him playfully.

“Don’t– Don’t apologize. It looks–” Bonnie’s voice box skipped and popped momentarily. He regained control, looking incredibly frustrated. “..Anyway. It looks nice on you. You should keep it. Now we– Now we match.”

Freddy raised his free paw to his ear, fidgeting with the earring he’d snagged. 

Bonnie wondered if Freddy even remembered what Bonnie had said right before his disappearance. He wondered if Freddy had even tried to think about what it meant. Should he even mention it? Was it worth a try?

“Bonnie, I do not want to upset you, but– do you remember how I used to press my muzzle to your forehead?” Freddy questioned sheepishly. He was growing warm all over again. His shyness made the remains of Bonnie’s tail wag with adoration. He nodded in response. “..Do you mind if I do that? It has been a long time.”

The bunny leaned forward expectantly, tail still fluttering back and forth. Freddy immediately took this liberty, nuzzling the top of Bonnie’s head excitedly. He lingered for a few moments before finally speaking.

“You left before I could give you an answer,” Freddy whispered, shaking a bit. Why was he nervous? “Bonnie, I love you too.”

There were a few moments of following silence. Bonnie leaned back, meeting shaky eye contact with the bear. His eyes were so warm and full of affection. His hands moved to cup Bonnie’s face, gently tracing over the grooves and cracks on his face plate. 

Bonnie’s systems began heating up incredibly fast. He was shaking with excitement, his weak structure struggling to handle all of these intense emotional responses. He fell limp, leaning fully against Freddy and continuing to quiver.

“I– I assume this is good–?” Freddy asked nervously. Bonnie nodded, throwing his hands around Freddy and holding him. There were many conversations that would need to take place to address the past two years, but that was for another time. All they needed at the moment was each other’s presence.